Jameis Winston and the Bucs offense have not looked great in their last two games. This came as a bit of a surprise for many Bucs fans. The stretch between weeks 2-4 were as productive as they come. During this stretch, Winston, who has been working to correct his turnover issue, threw 10 touchdowns against a mere 2 interceptions. Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber weren’t always spectacular, but they were definitely solid. Jones racked up 2 productive games against the Giants– 14 carries for 80 rushing yards- and the Rams– 19 carries for 70 yards. Barber’s good game came against the Panthers where he had 23 carries for 82 yards. Their performances were certainly enough to keep the opposing defenses honest.
So what happened in weeks 5 and 6? An identity crisis has taken hold of Byron Leftwich’s play-calling. Although the score was close when the Bucs faced New Orleans, the Saints greatly outplayed them. And a lot of why that is has to do with how Leftwich called his plays. Before moving into that, though, lets take a look at what went right during the week 2-4 stretch.
The Panthers
Fresh off of Winston’s ugly 3 interception performance, the Bucs offense desperately needed a good outing to move forward for the season. Leftwich, being new to play-calling, needed something to work. Against the 49ers, Winston threw 36 attempted passes which resulted in 20 completions for 194 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Meanwhile the combined rushing attack between Jones and Barber was practically invisible. Though Jones rushed for 75 yards, he only had 13 carries! Barber meanwhile had less- 8 carries for 33 yards.
So what did Leftwich do against the Panthers? He took the ball out of Winston’s hands a little more. In a low scoring affair, Leftwich opted for a balanced attack as opposed to a flashy big play offense. Winston had 25 passing attempts, completing 16 of them for 208 yards, a touchdown and 0(!) interceptions. Not flashy, but a solid effort. Barber had quite a day as well, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Jones had 4 additional carries for 9 yards. Though Leftwich clearly rode the hot hand, thats a combined 27 carries for the running game; 2 more than our passing game. The Bucs went on to win the game.
The Giants
This week, Leftwich clearly felt a bit bolder than the last. Winston was let loose against the Giants defense, throwing 37 times completing 23 of them for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns. He had the 1 interception, but 3-1 is a great ratio for the day. Though not as balanced as the last game, the running game was still very much involved. Jones had 14 carries for 80 yards, even breaking out for a 25 yard run. Barber was just as involved, racking up 13 carries for 48 yards. Even Breshad Perriman, the underachieving receiver signed in the offseason, had a carry on an end around play that went for 13 yards.
Unfortunately, this game ultimately ended in the first victory for the Giants’ rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. A second half comeback effort by the Giants combined with some struggles from rookie kicker Matt Gay resulted in a painful 32-31 Bucs loss. However, Leftwich had clearly found some rhythm as a play caller and that would prove to carry over to the next game.
The Rams
This has been, by far, the best game of the season for the Bucs offense and, individually, Jameis Winston. He threw 41 passes for 28 completions, 385 yards, 4 touchdowns against 1 interception. To say he picked apart the Rams defense would be an understatement. Although, while all the attention was on Winston, the running game was definitely doing its part. Jones had 19 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, even racking up a 24 yard run. Barber had 9 carries for 19 yards and a touchdown. Combined with Dare Ogunbowale’s lone run for no gain, the Bucs rushing attack had a total of 29 attempts.
The result was a dominating 55-40 win by the Bucs. Though all of the games within this stretch were different in their own right, they each had one thing in common. The running game was a reliable presence. It kept the opposing defenses honest and the pressure off of Winston to perform. Now lets take a look at what happened in weeks 5 and 6.
The Saints and Panthers
The week 5 score of 31-24 between the Saints and the Bucs is deceptively closer than it was. In almost every fashion of the game, the Bucs were outplayed. Leftwich’s play-calling tells the story: 27 attempted passes by Winston against a 17 rushing attempt effort between Barber and Jones. On the surface, the combined rushing yardage of 81 yards doesn’t seem terrible. However, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep the Saints defense honest. As a result, the Bucs O-Line was overwhelmed by the Saints blitz scheme and Winston was sacked 6 times.
As for week 6, that has definitely been the low point for the Bucs thus far. The Bucs had a grand total of 7 turnovers. Winston had 54 attempted passes, his high for the season. He completed 30 of them for 400 yards and a touchdown. However, he also threw 5(!) interceptions and fumbled twice- losing one. But what was the running game doing? Barber rushed 8 times for 28 yards. Jones had a touchdown, but only rushed 4 times for 10 yards. Ogunbowale also had a carry for 3 yards for a combined total of 13 carries on the day. Leftwich seemingly abandoned the run game all together despite Winston’s struggles.
My Take
Byron Leftwich’s decision in week 2 to call a more balanced game was a great one that resulted in success for the Bucs offense. However, when Leftwich’s offense struggled in weeks 5 and 6, he turned less and less to the running game. Presumably, he did this out of desperation not to fall behind in those games. However, the results were not great as each week was an ugly loss.
2 weeks of imbalance isn’t a pattern, but it is in danger of becoming one in week 8. During the bye week, I hope Leftwich took a good look at his playbook and reflected. Jones and Barber have proven they can perform if called upon. Leftwich needs to stay patient and let the running game develop to keep the pressure off of Winston. Otherwise, the results will be more of the same from weeks 5 and 6. Tune in to the game today as the Bucs take on the Tennessee Titans at 1:00 (EST).
